Loftus and Palmer

• What was the aim of the study conducted by Loftus and Palmer?

  To investigate the effect of language on memory
• How were participants divided in the study?

  Into 5 groups of 9 students each
• What type of video clips were shown to participants?

  7 video clips from a police road safety video
• How many of the video clips contained a crash?

  4 clips contained a crash
• What was the critical question asked in the questionnaire?

  About how fast were the cars going when they ______ each other?
• What were the five different verbs used in the critical question?

  Bumped, contacted, hit, collided, smashed
• What was the data collected for the study?

  The speed estimates given by participants
• What was the actual speed of the car in the clip that had a speed of 20 mph?

  37.7 mph
• What was the average speed estimated for the 30 mph clip?

  36.2 mph
• What was the average speed estimated for the 40 mph clip?

  39.7 mph
• What conclusion can be drawn about participants' speed estimates?

  Participants are generally not good at estimating speeds
• How did the wording of the question impact participants' speed estimates?

  It influenced the estimates given by participants
• What was the effect of the severity of the verb used in the questions?

  It caused higher speed estimates from participants
• What are the two reasons Loftus and Palmer provided for the influence of leading questions?

  Response bias and memory alteration
• What does response bias refer to in this context?

  Participants' responses influenced by the wording
• How does memory alteration occur according to Loftus and Palmer?

  The language changes the participant's memory
• What was the aim of Experiment 2?

  To investigate if speed estimates were genuine memory changes
• How many students participated in Experiment 2?

  150 students
• What were the three groups in Experiment 2?

  Hit group, smashed group, control group
• What was the critical question asked in Experiment 2?

  How fast were the cars going when they ______ each other?
• What was the second critical question asked a week later?

  Did you see any broken glass?
• What was the result for the SMASHED group regarding broken glass?

  16 said they saw broken glass
• What was the result for the HIT group regarding broken glass?

  7 said they saw broken glass
• What conclusion can be drawn from Experiment 2?

  Leading questions influenced participants' testimony
• What does Loftus and Palmer conclude about memory?

  Memory is reconstructive
• What are the two elements used to reconstruct a memory?

  Perception of the event and external information
• Why must questions be worded carefully in court cases?

  To avoid creating false memories in witnesses
• What research method was used in this study?

  Lab experiment
• What was the dependent variable in the study?

  Estimate of speed and broken glass response
• What was the independent variable in the study?

  Manipulation of the word used
• What controls were in place during the study?

  Same videos and questions for each participant
• What is the ecological validity of the study?

  Generally very low due to artificial environment
• What ethical issues were present in the study?

  Debriefing and potential emotional harm
• How does Loftus and Palmer's study relate to the cognitive area of psychology?

  It studies memory as a cognitive process
• How does the study link to the key theme of memory?

  It investigates the effect of leading questions on memory
• What have we learned about leading questions from this study?

  They can significantly alter memory recall
• Who can benefit from the findings of this study?

  Legal professionals and psychologists